Connector

The present disclosure relates to a connector.

Patent Document 1 discloses a connector in which a flexible cable is mounted on a housing. A plurality of terminal fittings connected to an end part of the flexible cable are accommodated in the housing. Reinforcement holes provided in the flexible cable are fit to boss pins provided on the housing, whereby a position shift of the flexible cable with respect to the housing is prevented.

If a tensile force acts on the flexible cable in the configuration of the connector as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is supposed that a load is applied to a part of the flexible cable where electrically conductive paths are provided. Accordingly, a configuration is required which can confirm an extent of a load generated in the part of the flexible cable where the electrically conductive paths are provided.

The present disclosure was completed on the basis of the above situation and can confirm an extent of a load generated in a part of a flexible cable where electrically conductive paths are provided.

The present disclosure is directed to a connector with a housing and a flexible cable to be assembled with the housing, the housing including a boss pin to be assembled with the flexible cable, the flexible cable including a body portion, a first constituent portion protruding in a direction toward a tip from the body portion, electrically conductive paths being routed in the first constituent portion, and a second constituent portion protruding in the direction toward the tip from the body portion, the second constituent portion being assembled with the boss pin, at least one of the boss pin and the second constituent portion being provided with a breaking portion, and a coupled state of the boss pin and the body portion being released by breaking the breaking portion.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to confirm an extent of a load generated in a part of a flexible cable where electrically conductive paths are provided.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described below.

[1] The connector is provided with a housing and a flexible cable to be assembled with the housing, the housing including a boss pin to be assembled with the flexible cable, the flexible cable including a body portion, a first constituent portion protruding in a direction toward a tip from the body portion, electrically conductive paths being routed in the first constituent portion, and a second constituent portion protruding in the direction toward the tip from the body portion, the second constituent portion being assembled with the boss pin, at least one of the boss pin and the second constituent portion being provided with a breaking portion, and a coupled state of the boss pin and the body portion being released by breaking the breaking portion.

In the connector of [1] described above, such as when a tensile force acts on the second constituent portion due to the action of a tensile force on the body portion of the flexible cable or the like, the breaking portion provided in at least one of the boss pin and the second constituent portion can be broken. Since the coupled state of the boss pin and the body portion is released by breaking the breaking portion, it can be confirmed that a certain load is generated in a part of the flexible cable where the electrically conductive paths are provided by grasping the release of such a coupled state.

[2] In the connector of [1] described above, the breaking portion is provided in the second constituent portion.

In the connector of [2] described above, the boss pin is less likely to be fragmented as compared to a configuration in which the breaking portion is provided in the boss pin and the boss pin is broken.

[3] In the connector of [2] described above, the breaking portion is configured as a narrow portion narrower than parts of the second constituent portion other than the breaking portion.

In the connector of [3] described above, the narrow portion narrower than the parts of the second constituent portion other than the breaking portion is easily broken. Thus, the breakage of the breaking portion is easily specified by focusing on the narrow portion to grasp the release of the coupled state between the boss pin and the body portion.

[4] In the connector of [2] described above, the second constituent portion is provided with a locking hole to be locked to the boss pin, and the breaking portion is a part including a hole edge part of the locking hole, out of the second constituent portion.

In the connector of [4] described above, the breaking strength of the breaking portion can be adjusted by changing the positions of the boss pin and the locking hole.

[5] In the connector of [1] described above, the breaking portion is provided in the boss pin.

In the connector of [5] described above, the breaking strength of the breaking portion can be changed by changing the shape of the boss pin, and the breaking strength of the breaking portion is easily adjusted.

[6] In the connector of any one of [1] to [5] described above, the electrically conductive paths are arranged in parallel in the first constituent portion, and a pair of the second constituent portions are arranged on both sides across the first constituent portion in a parallel direction of the electrically conductive paths.

In the connector of [6] described above, even if a tensile force biased toward one side in the parallel direction of the electrically conductive paths is applied in the flexible cable, the release of the coupled state of the boss pin and the body portion can be confirmed by properly breaking the breaking portion on the side of either one of the second constituent portions.

A specific first embodiment of a connector of the present disclosure is described with reference to. Note that the present invention is not limited to these illustrations, but is represented by claims and intended to include all changes in the scope of claims and in the meaning and scope of equivalents. In the first embodiment, left and right sides inare defined as front and rear sides concerning a front-rear direction. Upper and lower sides shown inare directly defined as upper and lower sides concerning a vertical direction. An oblique right upper side and an oblique left lower side inare defined as left and right sides concerning a lateral direction.

As shown in, a connectorof the first embodiment is provided with a housing, a flexible cableand terminal fittings(see). The flexible cableis connected to the terminal fittings(see) and assembled with the housing.

The housingincludes a lower housingand an upper housing. The housingis configured by uniting the lower housingand the upper housingwith each other.

The lower housingis made of synthetic resin. As shown in, the lower housinghas a flat shape long in the lateral direction. The lower housingis provided with a plurality of terminal accommodation recesses. The terminal accommodation recessis shaped to be long in the front-rear direction. The plurality of terminal accommodation recessesare arranged in parallel in the lateral direction. A plurality of terminal insertion holespenetrating in the front-rear direction are respectively provided to correspond to the plurality of terminal accommodation recessesin the front end of the lower housing.

The upper housingis made of synthetic resin. As shown in, the upper housinghas a flat shape long in the lateral direction. As shown in, a pair of left and right flat portionsare provided on a rear end side of the upper surface of the upper housing. The flat portionhas a horizontal exposed surface facing upward. The flat portionis provided with a boss pin. A pair of left and right boss pinsare disposed at positions overlapping in the lateral direction in the upper housing. The boss pinsare exposed to outside.

As shown in, the boss pinsare assembled with the flexible cable. The boss pinprojects upward from the exposed surface of the flat portion. As shown in, the boss pinincludes a column portionand an extending portion. The column portionhas a cylindrical shape extending upward from the flat portion. The extending portionextends rearward from the tip of the column portion. The tip of the extending portionhas a curved shape convex rearward in a plan view. The lower surface of the extending portionis a horizontal surface.

As shown in, the housingis provided with a slit-like openingconfigured by the rear end of the lower housingand the rear end of the upper housing. The openinghas a shape elongated in the lateral direction. A connecting end partof the flexible cableto be described later is inserted into the opening. In the housing, the flat portionsand the boss pinsare provided above the opening(on the side of the upper housing).

The flexible cableis such that electrically conductive paths and circuits are formed on a base film, which is a flexible and thin film-like insulator. Specific examples of the flexible cableinclude flexible printed circuits, flexible flat cables and the like. The plurality of terminal fittingsare connected to a front end part of the flexible cableby welding or the like.

The flexible cableincludes a body portion, a first constituent portion, a pair of second constituent portionsand the connecting end part. The body portionconstitutes a part on a rear end side (side opposite to a part connected to the terminal fittings) of the flexible cable. The electrically conductive paths (not shown) are routed in the body portion.

As shown in, the first constituent portionprotrudes in a direction toward a tip (forward) from the body portionin a state before being assembled with the housing. The electrically conductive paths (not shown) are routed in the first constituent portion. For example, a plurality of the electrically conductive paths (not shown) are routed to extend along the front-rear direction in the first constituent portion. The plurality of the electrically conductive paths (not shown) routed in the first constituent portionare arranged in parallel in the lateral direction.

The connecting end partprotrudes in the direction toward the tip (forward) from the first constituent portion. The connecting end partis wider in the lateral direction than the first constituent portion. A lateral width of the connecting end partis equal to that of a part of the flexible cablewhere the first constituent portionand the pair of second constituent portionsare arranged. A plurality of tip partsin the form of comb-teeth are provided in the tip of the connecting end part. The terminal fittingsare connected to the tip parts.

As shown in, the pair of second constituent portionsprotrude in the direction toward the tip (forward) from the body portionwhile being arranged side by side with the first constituent portionin the lateral direction in the state before being assembled with the housing. The pair of second constituent portionsare disposed on both left and right sides of the first constituent portion. No electrically conductive paths are routed in the second constituent portions. The second constituent portionsare assembled with the boss pins.

The second constituent portionsare provided with a pair of locking holesto be respectively locked to the pair of boss pins. The locking holeis provided in the tip (front end) of the second constituent portion.

The body portion, the first constituent portion, the pair of second constituent portionsand the connecting end partcan be formed by forming a pair of L-shaped cutsin the rectangular flexible cable. The pair of second constituent portionsare arranged on both sides across the first constituent portionin a parallel direction (lateral direction) of the electrically conductive paths (not shown) of the first constituent portionin the state before being assembled with the housing. The first constituent portionand the second constituent portionsare spaced apart. The first constituent portionand the second constituent portionsare arranged in parallel to be individually expandable and contractible. Thus, such as when a tensile force acts on the second constituent portiondue to the action of a tensile force on the body portionor the like, a tensile force is hardly generated in the first constituent portionand a load generated in the electrically conductive paths provided in the first constituent portioncan be effectively suppressed.

As shown in, reinforcement platesare provided in parts of the flexible cableexcept the first constituent portion. That is, the reinforcement platesare provided on the body portion, the pair of second constituent portionsand the connecting end part. The reinforcement platesare disposed on the respective lower surfaces of the body portion, the pair of second constituent portionsand the connecting end part.

The column portionof the boss pincorresponds to an example of a “breaking portion” of the present disclosure. By breaking the column portion, an assembled state of the boss pinand the second constituent portionis released and a coupled state of the boss pinand the body portionis released. The boss pinis broken, for example, by pulling the second constituent portionrearward to vertically divide the column portion.

Such as when a tensile force acts on the second constituent portiondue to the action of a tensile force on the body portionof the flexible cableor the like, the column portionof the boss pincan be broken. Since the coupled state of the boss pinand the body portionis released by breaking the boss pin, it can be confirmed that a certain load (e.g. a load of such an extent as to guarantee the strength of the electrically conductive paths) is generated in the part of the flexible cablewhere the electrically conductive paths are provided by grasping the release of such a coupled state.

The breaking strength of the column portioncan be adjusted, for example, by changing a diameter of the column portion. For example, the breaking strength of the column portionincreases as the diameter of the column portionincreases. The breaking strength of the column portiondecreases as the diameter of the column portiondecreases. Therefore, the shape of the column portionis easily designed.

Next, an assembly process of the connectoris described. First, the connecting end partof the flexible cableconnected to the terminal fittingsis arranged in the lower housing. Subsequently, the upper housingis assembled with the lower housing. In this way, the housingis formed and the plurality of tip partsof the connecting end partand the terminal fittingsare accommodated in the housing. The rear end of the connecting end partand the first and second constituent portions,are located behind the openingof the housing.

Subsequently, as shown in, the locking holesof the pair of second constituent portionsare respectively locked to the pair of boss pins. As shown in, the plate surfaces of the pair of second constituent portionsare horizontally held and located on the same plane as the body portion. The pair of second constituent portionsare not bent. The first constituent portionis disposed to be lower than the body portionand the second constituent portions. Steps are configured by the first and second constituent portions,. The first constituent portionincludes a bent portionbent with respect to the body portionwith the second constituent portionsassembled with the boss pins. Specifically, the bent portionis inclined downward toward the front.

As shown in, the connecting end partis arranged to be lower than the body portionand the second constituent portions. The plate surface of the connecting end partis disposed in parallel to that of the body portionand those of the second constituent portions.

As described above, in the connectorof the present disclosure, the boss pinis provided with the column portion, which is an example of the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure. The coupled state of the boss pinand the body portionis released by breaking the column portion. In this way, the column portionof the boss pincan be broken such as when a tensile force acts on the second constituent portiondue to the action of a tensile force on the body portionof the flexible cableor the like. Since the coupled state of the boss pinand the body portionis released by breaking the boss pin, it can be confirmed that a certain load is generated in the part of the flexible cablewhere the electrically conductive paths are provided by grasping the release of such a coupled state.

Further, in the connectorof the present disclosure, the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure is provided in the boss pin. In this way, the breaking strength of the boss pincan be changed by changing the shape of the boss pin, and the breaking strength of the boss pinis easily adjusted.

Further, in the connectorof the present disclosure, the electrically conductive paths are arranged in parallel in the first constituent portion. The pair of second constituent portionsare arranged on the both sides across the first constituent portionin the parallel direction of the electrically conductive paths. In this way, even if a tensile force biased toward one side in the parallel direction of the electrically conductive paths is applied in the flexible cable, the release of the coupled state of the boss pinand the body portioncan be confirmed by properly breaking the boss pinon the side of either one of the second constituent portions.

are views showing a connector of a second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the breaking portions. The other configuration is the same as in the first embodiment and not described in detail.

A connectorof the second embodiment embodying the connector of the present disclosure is described with reference to. In the connectorof the second embodiment, a second constituent portionincludes a narrow portionas shown in. The narrow portionhas a lateral width smaller than parts of the second constituent portionother than the narrow portion(parts in front of, behind and adjacent to the narrow portion). The narrow portioncorresponds to an example of the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure. The narrow portionis provided between a locking holeand a body portionin the second constituent portion.

The narrow portionnarrower than the parts of the second constituent portionother than the narrow portionis easily broken. Thus, the breakage of the second constituent portionis easily specified by focusing on the narrow portionto grasp the release of a coupled state between a boss pinand the body portion.

The present invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiments, but is represented by claims. The present invention is intended to include all changes in the scope of claims and in the meaning and scope of equivalents and also include the following embodiments.

Although the narrow portionof the second constituent portionis illustrated as an example of the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure in the above second embodiment, a part having another shape may be the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure. For example, as shown in, a narrow portionincluding a pair of cutsprovided in the second constituent portionmay be the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure. For example, as shown in, a narrow portionincluding a pair of through holesprovided in the second constituent portionmay be the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure. For example, the second constituent portionhaving a constant width may be the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure as in the above first embodiment.

Although the column portionof the boss pinis disclosed to correspond to an example of the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure in the above first embodiment, a part of the second constituent portionincluding a hole edge part of the locking holemay correspond to an example of the “breaking portion” of the present disclosure. In this way, the breaking strength of the breaking portion (part including the hole edge part of the locking hole) can be adjusted by changing the positions of the boss pinand the locking hole. For example, by forming the locking holenear the tip of the second constituent portion, a tip side from the locking holeis easily cracked.